Mixed Messages? Stop Listening.

I've decided to stop reading other people's blogs and message board posts, looking for references to me.

It's a big world out there. People have enough on their plate, without having to direct time and energy towards me. And I was seeing phantoms, obscure references to me, that turned out to be totally unintentional. I had two different incidents last week, where I saw myself referenced in things that apparently had nothing to do with me. In both cases, the speaker had to tell me, delicately, that they weren't talking about me, at all. Doh.

As it turns out, not every vague reference to something that "might" be me, is actually a reference to me. It's sad that it took me 33 years to get the message, but I've got it now.

Going forward, I'm going to assume the opposite. Unless something DIRECTLY names me, I'm going to assume that it's about someone else. So, if you ARE out there and you DO want me to know that you're talking about me, without actually talking about me, for whatever reason, you're going to have to hit me on the head with a shovel, to get my attention. This is me, putting you on notice.

Be clear or be ignored.

It seems silly to have to make a concrete decision to stop looking for oneself in the online postings of others. Times like this, I feel the intrusion of modern technology on our normal behavioral patterns. In the past, if you wanted to talk about someone, without naming them, you would just have the conversation in a time or place that they would know nothing about. It certainly wouldn't be available online for anyone, anywhere to read and digest. Technology complicates things, again.

This was a good weekend for deciding things and getting things done. It continues into today. So, that's nice!

Cheers,
Mr.B